News from the South African water sector

Abstract

The Water Wheel September-October 2005 5UPFRONT Deciduous fruit and wine farmers along the Berg River may lose out on exports to the European Union (EU) because of the quality of the water used for irrigation. Farmers told the Cape Times that they fear the EU may close its markets to them since the pollution in the Berg River is way over internationally accepted limits. E. coli counts in the river over the past 18 months have reportedly ranged from around 5 000 to 2 400 million per 100 mℓ compared to the EU accepted count of no more than 1 000 in 100 mℓ of water to irrigate crops. The main sources of pollution are said to be discharges from wineries and from food-processing factories, runoff from informal settlements on the river banks and effluent leaks from municipal sewerage systems. Dirty water a headache for farmers Cape Town goes green The Cape Metropolitan Council has planted 640 saplings in various residential areas in efforts to green the city. Exotic and indigenous, drought-resistant species were selected.

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